1. Culturally Responsive Parental Engagement Edward O. Manyibe, Ph.D., CRC Mary Ann Teal-Harris Vivien Adeleye Jerod Gleason Rene Takang Department of Rehabilitation Counseling & Disability Studies Langston University

2. Learning Objectives Understand the meaning of parental engagement (PE). Understand what it means to be culturally responsive. Understand the importance of engaging parents in a culturally responsive manner. Understand the process of planning for culturally responsive PE

3. How is parental Engagement Defined? Parental engagement - parents and transition staff working together to support and improve the learning, development, and vocational aspirations of students.

4. What is Culture? An integrated pattern of human behavior that includes thoughts, communications, languages, practices, beliefs, values, customs, courtesies, rituals, manners of interacting, roles, relationships, and expected behaviors of a racial, ethnic, religious or social group; the ability to transmit the above to succeeding generations; is dynamic in nature. Source: National Center for Cultural Competence http://nccc.georgetown.edu/foundations/frameworks.html#ccdefinition http://nccc.georgetown.edu/foundations/frameworks.html#ccdefinition

5. What is Culturally Responsive Parental Engagement (CRPE) CRPE Is a process designed to ensure parents’ connection to the agency’s culture, purpose, and organization. Dedicated culturally responsive PE is present when there is a system in place to include ALL PARENTS in the life and development of their child. Source: http://www.pacer.org/mpc/pdf/CulturallyResponsivePI.pdf

6. Why Culturally Responsive Parental Engagement? Changing Demographics demand that VR staff alter preconceived notions about a child’s family experiences and structure By 2020, children of color will constitute 46% of the public school population. Approximately 40 million people in the U.S. speak a maternal language that is not English.

7. Why Culturally Responsive Parental Engagement? Cont’d Minorities, who currently account for 37% of the U.S. population, will comprise 57% of the population in 2060. One in five Americans (19%) will be foreign born in 2050 (BLS, 2012; Pew Hispanic Center, 2011).

8. Why Culturally Responsive Parental Engagement? Cont’d More and more parents speak languages other than English or may speak several English dialects. The parents and families joining our schools may have had different, few, or no experiences with formal education thus bringing new expectations and challenges to transition programs New immigrants may be undergoing cultural dissonance and acculturation

9. Why Culturally Responsive Parental Engagement? Cont’d Race/Ethnicity200420082012 American Indian or Alaskan Native 825516 Asians300 Blacks71383 Hispanic or Latinos17105 Native Hawaiian or other Pacific 100 Whites34515735

10. What are the Key Aims of CRPE? Make a positive connection with parents Provide a variety of culturally appropriate activities and frequent opportunities to fully engage parents Sustain culturally appropriate parent engagement by addressing the common challenges to getting and keeping parents engaged

11. PE involves all stakeholders working together Parents School Staff VR Professionals Others

12. Things to Consider When Planning CRPE Intervention What are your primary objectives Who should be involved in parental engagement activities How will you engage parents When do you engage parents What strategies are you going to use to engage parents How will you implement those strategies

13. Characteristics of Culturally Responsive PE(CRPE) is: CRPE Ongoing Comprehensive Relentless Purposeful

14. Key Goal of CRPE The Goal of CRPE is to improve postsecondary outcomes for students with disabilities: Employment Post-Secondary Education Independent Living

15. Evaluating your CRPE Intervention Who was involved? Were objectives met? Were the methods/strategies culturally responsive? What needs to be modified? What needs to be enhanced? Were available resources well utilized? What cultural competencies were developed?

16. Conclusion Meaningful CRPE will enhance Student Success The future economic and moral success of our nation depends on the success of every child Rapid Demographics shifts witnessed today demand a workforce that is culturally competent. Parents are more likely to participate when they feel that their cultures are respected, valued, and celebrated Diverse cultural backgrounds of families require new strategies to encourage parental involvement

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